


Honey, I Shrunk the Steve

by TheVagabondBoy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pocket Steve, Protective Bucky Barnes, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, title may change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-06-21 08:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15553704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVagabondBoy/pseuds/TheVagabondBoy
Summary: Why did Captain America wake up three inches tall?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [亲，我把Steve缩小了](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15585855) by [flyingmax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingmax/pseuds/flyingmax)



> blame the stucky au bang slack and especially [queenie](https://tt40-angst-queen.tumblr.com/)
> 
> inspired by the art made by [xhorizondump](https://xhorizondump.tumblr.com/)

The whole team stood around Steve’s bed, staring at it.

Well, not at the bed itself. At Steve. Or, well, they were pretty sure it was Steve, at least.

He was...tiny. Like,  _ really _ tiny. Three-inches-tall-if-he-was-on-his-toes tiny.

“He looks like one of those pop figures.” Stark said.

And yeah, that was a pretty apt description. Bucky had seen pictures of those figurine and now Steve  _ really _ looked like the one modelled after him.

TIny Steve look up at them with big eyes.

“Eeb...?” he squeaked.

That was  _ adorable _ and while the whole team knew that, they all also knew that now was not the time to melt over it.

“Okay! Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do!” Stark continued, somewhat determinately.

Everyone turned their eyes to him and waited eagerly to hear his plan.

“Okay, we’re...uh. We’re gonna- No, here’s what- I think we should-” he stumbled over it.

He took a breath and turned his eyes back to mini-Steve. “Okay, I don’t have a plan.”

Bucky sighed.

The soldier shuffled around the bed and went to his knees, coming somewhat eye to eye with his miniature best friend.

“Hey, Steve.” he started hesitantly.

Steve looked up from his own toes and smiled when he saw Bucky. “Eeb! Eeb, eeb!” he said, pointing with a chubby little finger to his chubby little toes.

“Uh...yeah. Um, so...do you know where you are? And who I am?” Bucky questioned.

Steve, much in the same way a baby just learning how to walk would, stumbled to his feet. He tottered at Bucky with wide opend arms and a big smile.

_ “Buh!” _

Bucky winced when mini-Steve collided with his face. Though he appreciated the gesture of the ‘hug’, Bucky pried Steve away. Steve didn’t seem to mind very much. He sat down in front of Bucky and beamed at him with pudgy, rosy cheeks.

“Okay, Buh’s...a good start. I guess.” Bucky commented to himself.

“Buh!” Steve repeated.

_ “Here’s _ what we’re gonna do.” The soldier said. “We’re gonna go down to the lab. Stark and Banner are gonna do some scans and run some tests and see if there’s any physical sign of how the hell this happened. The, if there aren’t any, we’re gonna put in a call to Doctor Jazz Hands and see if there’s a...magical explanation. Sound good?”

“Eeb.” Steve said and nodded, his blond hair flopping slightly.

“And maybe find some clothes for you in the mean time.” Bucky added.

They were lucky Steve’s boxers had decided to shrink with him. Thank God Steve didn’t sleep naked.

“I think Cassie might’ve left some dolls and stuff in my room last time she was here.” Scott said. “Could check is there’s anything that’d fit? If not, I’m a  _ beast _ with a needle and thread.”

Bucky nodded, but was more focused on Steve. He placed his hands on the bed, palms up, in front of the small Captain.

“C’mon, Stevie, let’s go to the lab.”

Steve looked at Bucky’s hands. He looked up at Bucky, then back to his hands. He shuffled in his seat, turning his back to Bucky and crossed his chubby arms.

_ “Eeb.” _

Bucky sighed. “C’mon, Stevie. I won’t drop ya, I promise.”

Steve shook his head. “Eeb, eeb. Buh, eeb.”

“Steve, you  _ can’t _ walk to the lab. It’s too far and your legs are tiny.”

“Eeb.”

_ “Steven Grant Rogers, _ I swear to God, if you don’t get in my hands right this second, I  _ will _ go find a sandal and beat you with it like my Ma used to when we got in trouble.”

_ “Eeb!” _

Steve stumbled to his tiny,  _ tiny _ feet again and ran at Bucky. It was probably the most adorable thing Bucky had ever seen, when Steve then tripped over Bucky’s fingertips and fell face first into his palms. Bucky cradled him carefully as he got up and Steve got comfortable. He seemed to like it when Bucky ran his metal finger over his tiny-yet-somehow-oversized head. He smiled and beamed up at the soldier.

*

Steve sat on the counter in the lab. He was playing with a ball of blue tac Bruce had found in a drawer. He seemed delighted with this toy. Bucky only had to stop him from trying to eat it once. So far, at least. Bucky was watching him closely, just to be safe.

When Bruce brought out the needles for a blood test, Steve screamed.

_ “Eeb! Buh, eeb!” _

He was on his feet in half a second, shaking off the blue tac stuck to his hand, and ran towards Bucky on wobbly legs.

“Steve! Steve, don’t, no!”

Bucky ran for the counter, having stepped back for a short word with Natasha. Steve didn’t seem to care at all. He simply ran to Bucky, not caring that he had to jump off the very high edge of the counter.

Bucky threw himself forward, hands out to catch the miniature. The breath was punched from his lungs when he hit the floor. Thankfully, he felt the small thump in his hands a moment later, when Steve landed in his palms.

“Buh, Buh, eeb! Eeb!” Steve squeaked when Bucky raised his head to look at him, and pointed roughly to where Bruce stood with the needles in hand.

Bucky shuffled around to sit on his knees. “Steve, you fucking dumbass.”

Steve frowned up at him, crossing those adorable, chubby arms. “Buh eeb.”

The soldier sighed. “You  _ cannot _ do things like that.” he said as he stood up.

“Eeb.”

Bucky tried to put him down on the counter again, but Steve refused to go. He clung to one of Bucky’s fingers and wouldn’t let go even when Bucky tried to pry him loose.

_ “Steve. _ It’s just a needle. It’s okay.” Bucky tried to reassure. “It’s not dangerous.”

Bruce sat down on a stool, rolling closer to the counter, but kept the needles out of sight.

“Hey, Steve.” he said softly. “I know, it’s kinda scary. I don’t like needles either.”

Steve looked up at Bruce with big eyes. He looked on the verge of tears, hugging Bucky’s ring finger.

“But it’s really not that bad, I promise.” Bruce said. “It’s just one quick sting, then I’ll give you a lollipop.”

“Eeb?” Steve said, perking up at the mention of lollipops.

Bruce chuckled. He opened a drawer in one of the tables, digging around for a moment. Finally, he produced a pink lollipop. Steve’s eyes somehow got bigger and his mouth fell open in awe.

“Eeb!”

He let go of Bucky’s finger to instead make grabby-hands at the candy.

_ “No, _ Steve. You only get the lollipop after the test.” Bruce bribed. “If you want the lollipop, you’re gonna have to gimme your arm for a minute.”

Steve whined, grabbing onto Bucky’s finger again. He hid his face and held out an arm. Bucky pet Steve’s head and back gently with his metal fingers. Steve yelped and whined when the needle touched on his arm. Bucky just continued petting him, hushing him softly.

“Think about the lollipop, Stevie.” he reminded too. “It’s almost done.”

Bruce worked quite fast by Bucky’s judgement. He took a very small sample of course, only a few drops, before putting a small, improvised band-aid over the tiny wound. If Steve’s regenerative capabilities remained, the little wound would be gone in just moments anyway.

“There you go!” Bruce said and finally offered the lollipop to Steve.

“Eeb! Eeb! Eeb!” Steve squealed as his tiny hands could barely wrap fully around the stick of the lollipop, jumping up and down in Bucky’s hand. “Buh, eeb! Eeb!”

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah. You want some help with the wrapper, there, buddy?” he asked.

Steve nodded, still bouncing, and held the lollipop out to Bucky.

Bucky carefully let Steve step down from his hand onto the counter, then took the lollipop. He got the wrapper off quite easily then gave the candy back. Steve was practically  _ vibrating _ with excitement as he tried to shove the whole lollipop into his mouth. With his strangely large head also came a strangely large mouth, and yet, the lollipop didn’t  _ quite _ fit into his mouth. He didn’t seem to mind at all. He sucked on it as best he could, swaying from side to side with a smile on his face.

Christ, this little shit was adorable as hell.


	2. Chapter 2

“So! Other than the fact that he’s about three inches tall, Steve is...in perfect health.” Stark said with a shrug. “No sign of anything outta the ordinary.”

“Whatever did this left no physical evidence behind.” Bruce added, with Tony nodding in agreement.

“But I paged Doctor Strangelove, explained the...situation.” Stark continued. “He and Wong are goin’ through their library lookin’ for anything like this. Said he’d check in as soon as he’s got something.”

“Eeb eeb eeb eeb.” Steve mumbled happily to himself as he licked on his lollipop.

“So we’re stuck with Funko Steve?” Clint asked.

He was leaning on the table, chin on the counter, watching tiny Steve try to eat his own weight in sugar and corn syrup.

“Looks like it.” Bruce said. “Until Strange figures something out. I mean, me and Tony can try to figure out a solution on our end but...I’d be rootin’ for Strange on this one.”

“Yeah, hate to admit it, but magic’s probably gonna be it this time.” Stark concurred.

Bucky sighed. So he’d have to look after tiny Steve until Strange got back to them. Now, Bucky didn’t have a problem with that; he’d already had a lifetime of looking after Steve, he knew the drill. But even back then, before the serum, Steve wouldn’t have died if he got stepped on! Sure, it’d probably have broken half the bones in his body, but he’d survive it! Now he’d literally get crushed into a tiny pile of sad goo.

The doors to the lab opened and Scott stepped in, carrying a short stack of clothes.

“No doll clothes in a good size but I threw some stuff together real quick.” he said as he joined the group. “Remind me, Steve owes me a couple new t-shirts.”

At hearing a new voice, Steve managed to tear his attention away from his lolly. He looked up at the new arrival with a smile and held up the lollipop as if to show him.

“Eeb! Eeb eeb eeb!” he squeaked.

Scott, with experience in baby talk, easily played along. “What? You got a lollipop? No way!” he said as he set the clothes down on the counter. “Oh, man... Hey, can I have a taste?”

“Eeb!” Steve said, nodding and offering the lolly to him.

Scott took the lollipop and gave it a couple quick licks. “Oooh! Strawberry flavour!”

Steve nodded again, accepting the lolly when it was offered back to him. He used the stick of the lolly to pull himself up to his feet, still reminding Bucky of a baby just learning to walk. He tottered toward Bucky and held up the lollipop at him.

“Buh!”

What a cute little shit.

*

Putting clothes on Steve was an adventure in and of itself.

The little idiot refused to sit still. He tried to run away, several times, and after Bucky caught him every single time, Steve instead decided to frequently switch between going completely limp, and flapping his arms and legs around and throwing his head from side to side. It was infuriating. If it hadn’t been for how much Bucky loved Steve, he would have crushed the little shithead in his metal hand.

But at long fucking last, Bucky managed to pop Steve’s big head through the little tunic Scott had thrown together, and get him to slip his arms into it as well.

Steve was displeased.

He sat down and frowned, arms crossed. Bucky tried to get him to look at him, but each time Steve turned his back. Bucky went so far as to picking Steve up by the back of his tunic shirt. Steve determinately covered his eyes. Bucky sighed.

He headed for the elevator. Maybe he could ply the little shit with food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tinier than steve because i wanted to add smth to this but the writing is not going well


End file.
